Margaret is a professionally trained divorce coach and former family law attorney. Margaret specializes in helping women who are struggling with a difficult spouse so that they can gain clarity, regain control, and make informed decisions about their future.
A divorce coach is someone with professional training who can work with you to identify and attain your goals, and overcome any obstacles in your divorce or separation, so that you are able to make the best possible decisions for your future.
A therapist will delve into underlying emotional issues, perhaps issues that arose from trauma or early family experiences, that are keeping you from experiencing optimal mental health functioning. A divorce coach is focused on helping you manage the broad range of emotions and experiences that surface during a divorce, will provide resources, and will guide you through important decisions you will need to make for yourself and your children. Not everyone needs a therapist, but most could benefit from divorce coaching.
Your attorney is there to answer legal questions and present your case to the opposing party and the Judge. S/he has must comply with discovery rules and court deadlines and be prepared to back up the necessary facts with admissible evidence. Your attorney is not specially trained, and may not have the available time, skill or demeanor to help you manage your emotions and to help you sort out what issues are the most important to you or explore how to problem solve those issues. That’s where a divorce coach comes in.
Divorce coaches generally charge less than divorce attorneys. Many offer a certain number of coaching sessions at various price points. You can stop/start or restart the coaching process at any time. The goal of coaching is to minimize and or control the amount of money that you will need to spend on legal fees and court proceedings. In contrast, once a divorce attorney is hired, s/he may end up costing their client anywhere from $5000 to a hundred thousand dollars, or more. You may not find out how much you owe until the end of each month, which can be a frightening prospect. Even if an attorney charges a flat fee for divorce, that fee typically increases if there are motions or hearings involved. One of the determining factors is the level of organization/disorganization of the client, their feelings, emotions, communication skill level and goals. If you work with a divorce coach in conjunction with your attorney, the end result is that you should spend much less overall and be more satisfied with the outcome.
No. Even though Margaret is a licensed attorney in the State of Colorado, she is not acting as your attorney in this matter. You will be responsible for hiring an attorney or consulting with an attorney regarding any specific legal questions that you may have throughout the process. What your coach can do is provide you with guidance on how to select an attorney and how to work with your attorney to get your specific questions answered and your needs met.
Coaching is a flexible process that fits easily into your schedule. Sessions can be in-person or over the phone or internet. Your coach can be available to support you on short notice. Sessions are one-on-one and are always confidential.